The Red Butterfly
by Kitera-Matar
Summary: “When you stumbled in Hatsuharu Sohma, it may have looked like a pool – this gang life. But the further in you go, the more of a lake it becomes.” Haru comes into gang territory with Uo - and finds out about the Butterfly, Uo, and Ryoko, the new le
1. The Red Butterfly again

The Red Butterfly

Disclaimer: Well you probably know the rigmarole (story), but I'll say it anyway… most of the places, people, or things in this story come from Fruits Basket. They are not mine.

Background: This is a little insert ficlet that has to do with Uo, Haru, Kyoko - the Red Butterfly, and gangs. It is after Kyoko's 1st year anniversary of her death. I wrote this before the manga vol 7 came out in the US, so it doesn't' totally fit in with the story – namely A LOT. Like Kyoko not being a leader, or Ryoko, or Uo. Or everything that happened between the three before Kyoko and then Uo left. Or for that fact Ryoko herself is not real! Agh, none of you probably know what I am talking about, but if you read, you'll understand.

Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap. ' and ' are for thoughts, " and " are for speaking. I tried looking up gangs in Japan and hopefully got the facts right, if not, please feel free to correct me, but I also changed some stuff so I could have their gang and the people in it be different. Why? Nobody knows…

Warning: Contains swearing, mild bloodshed, and some sexual innuendos.

Chapter 1: The Red Butterfly – again

Hatsuharu Sohma, or Haru, waited patiently at the corner of the street. His gloved hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his loose pants and his face was, as usual, stony. His fur topped white slited coat was open and whipped against his shiny black pants and boots. The open coat revealed his black button-down shirt that was only held closed by three or four buttons near the bottom. The top was open revealing his pale chest and his many necklaces and his black choker collar.

He was lost – again - surprise.

He stood with feet spread apart and shoulders level, staring blankly across the street at the red walk sign. The traffic light turned from green to yellow and Haru saw a motorcycle speed up to get through the light and turn the corner away from him. The taillights flashed by in a blur of red and the wind hit Haru like a wall, but he was staring at the taillights and the back of the rider on the bike. The black coat worn by the cyclist flapped in the wind the bike stirred, but on the back, clearly visible to Haru, was the picture of a red butterfly.

Flashback Memory:

"Kid hop on!" a young Haru raced for the black clad rider on the motorcycle. The bad guys raced after him. The rider held out a gloved hand to Haru. The child strained his legs. His lungs felt about to burst. One guy took a swipe at him. Haru stumbled but was up in a second – facing the other direction – with a mean smirk on his face.

Black Haru had finally emerged, despite all of the efforts of the White Haru. Haru ducked beneath his large attacker and hit him behind the knees. The man went down but the rest circled and surrounded him.

Haru vaguely heard someone swear in the background, and he wondered briefly why his attackers would swear. Then he heard an engine rev and the rider drove into the circle. The bike stopped in front of him and the gloved hand shot back out. But this time the rider did not wait for Haru to grab hold, but snaked their arm around his waist and swung him onto the back of the bike behind them.

"Hold on to me tightly! I don't want you to fall off!" the rider warned him. He had just enough time to see the design of a red butterfly on a black background on the back of the coat before he clutched it and they were off. Haru clutched the coat with all his child strength. Even as a child he knew not to hold onto the rider, but instead held onto the coat for dear life. His face was pressed into the design and he wondered what it was for.

"Red Butterfly! Hey! Wait! Stop!" Haru leaped off the curb and into the street. Dashing across the slowing traffic – he kept shouting at the cyclist, "Hey! Stop! Red Butterfly, Wait! Stop Dammit!" He dodged in front of the cars that stopped by the white line waiting for the light to turn. He slapped the hood of a white van that stopped mere inches from his stomach.

Haru could feel the anger and annoyance rising within him. He glared angrily at the driver of the van and felt his upper lip curl into a growl. He was losing the Red Butterfly! He shouted some obscenity at the van and turned to go when he heard a bang.

The doors of the van flew open – the light was red and the cars were stopped. Gang members flowed out and around the cars stopped near it to swarm around him. They all had their upper left arm bared to reveal barbed wire tattoos. 'Damn! A gang!' Haru swore violently and spun – he was yearning for fight, but he wanted to catch the Red Butterfly!

He needed an outlet for his anger though! The sudden urge to hit someone, to feel his fist connect with flesh, to feel the flesh give, break, and snap… he mentally shook himself. Black Haru was not coming out yet! 'Stop it Haru!' he yelled at himself, 'You may still be able to catch her!' He scanned traffic but could not see her anywhere.

"Damn! Curse all the fucking luck!" he swore some more but then he saw a fist flying towards the back of his head out of the corner of his eye and quickly ducked, and rolled. He came up with a smirk on his face and his eyebrows tilted at dangerous angles. Black Haru had finally surfaced. He waded into the closing group and into the thick of it with fists and feet flying.

"Dirty, blood-sucking bastards!" he spat. The gang murmured angrily at that. The light turned green. More horns began to honk and blow. The group converged on Haru in front of the van and traffic flowed past them angrily. The majority of the gang had bruises by this time, but some were bleeding and a few were gingerly holding broken bones and joints.

Haru was doing quite well on the other hand. He was not as good at Kyo and definitely not Yuki, but he was better than them and he only had a few bruises and a cut lip. He swallowed the blood that started to leak from it and tasted the iron in his mouth. He smirked at them and swiped at the blood on his lip that he had not swallowed with the back of his hand. "That all you can do? Guess I shouldn't expect much from bitches." He shrugged and stood upright.

If there was one thing Black Haru knew how to do well, it was how to say the exact thing at the exact moment to get people riled up. And his gift did not fail him this time either.

The gang roared and leapt on him again. Haru gave a nasty smile that did not bode well and began to dish out punches, kicks, and all around dirty fighting. "Fuck all you bitches! That's what you are, aren't you? Little girl doggies!" Traffic was honking and surging around the writhing mass of bodies. A few people had their windows rolled down and quickly rolled them up once they heard the language spewing from Haru's mouth. But one motorcycle did not go around - it went through the fray.

Black coat flapping and head lowered, the rider charged into the fray. Haru stared dumbfounded at the black face mask that was now face to face with him for a second before coming to in just enough time to hear the rider say, "Well, what the hell are you waiting for? And engraved invitation! Get on!" Haru did not need a second invitation - however rough the first was.

He swung his leg over the back of the bike and grabbed onto the person's shoulders ahead of him tightly as they sped off. The gang roared in anger at losing their antagonist and piled back into the van and sped off after the escaping pair. The traffic was happy to continue on it daily routine even if the gang was not.

Haru ducked his head behind the rider's back and closed his eyes. The wind tore his white coat open and the cold wind rushed in. But the body ahead of him was warm, very warm – a smirk grew on Haru's face. Black Haru may have been in shock over seeing his childhood savior again, but Black Haru had not been beaten into submission and quickly resurfaced.

They turned out of traffic and down a side street. The bike halted and the rider turned around to face him, the helmet still on. "You ok?" The voice was muffled, but Haru thought he recognized it. "Yeah, yeah Red Butterfly, I'm ok."

"Good. But one thing-" The helmet came off the rider and long straight blonde hair fell out and flowed across the black trench coat. "I'm not the Red Butterfly."

Haru stared dumbfounded into the face of Ansa Uotani, Tohru's friend and a girl a year above him at school. "Uo?" To say that he was shocked would be putting in mildly - he was flabbergasted.

Suddenly Uo's eyes widened as she looked over Haru's shoulder. "Shit! Hold on!" She slammed her helmet back on and with a flick of her wrist, a kick, and a push; they were off. The van had just turned down their street.

They spun down the streets in a blur of colors. Haru could not believe it. In less than 10 minutes he had found Uo in his heroine's coat, discovered Uo could ride a bike like no one he had ever seen before, and had a gang after him. Not to mention that Black Haru was straddling a bike behind a girl. Things were definitely heating up.

Black Haru smirked at the world.

Hey! So what do you think? I have gone through this chapter like 4 times now and re-posted it each time and its amazing how many mistakes I STILL keep on finding… Thanks for reading! PLEASE review, it lets me know that people actually read this and want to continue reading further chapters.

Preview of chap 2: Uo's past comes into light when the duo have to fight and gain sanctuary with an old friend of Uo's.

Kit ;)


	2. Uo’s Old Gang

The Red Butterfly

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap. ' and ' are for thoughts, " and " are for speaking. I'm not sure what Uo's height is so I just placed it around 5' 6-9ish".

Warning: Contains swearing, mild bloodshed, and some sexual innuendos.

Chapter 2: Uo's Old Gang

The spun a corner and Haru held on tightly, he looked down and gave Uo a once over. Her legs were spread wide and her waist was thin – she was curvaceous - Haru grinned. He kept on hand firmly on her shoulder and took the other hand and ran it down her side. He felt her quiver and then shake. He knew the effect he could have, but Uo was also Uo.

She let go of one of the bike handles and hit him in the face with her elbow. Haru did not try anything for a while after that. The turned a corner and stopped, dead end.

Haru leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Hey, how 'bout we go someplace quiet and dark?"

Uo turned around and screamed right in his face, "What the hell is with you?"

Haru grinned and shrugged.

Uo turned around and kicking the bike back off, she turned them around just in time to see the van turn the corner. The van stopped and the doors flew open again.

Uo swore and turned off the bike. She jabbed her leg out jerking down the kickstand and got off. She took off her helmet and put it gently on the seat. Haru followed.

The two stood and faced the line of burly guys. At a shouted word from the gang leader - a burly guy who had a tank top on and had two deadly looking knives in each hand, the gang leapt on them. The fight was quickly joined. Haru immediately was fighting. At one point, he looked over at Uo and was surprised.

She lighter than him, but she could still pack a punch. She was also quicker and liked to dodge, twist, and run. Many of the gang members hit each other instead of her or were tripped or fell from her fast feet. But thrown in here and there was a worthy punch.

Haru himself pretty much stayed his ground and hit and kicked anyone who came in reach, and that was a lot. It was hard to imagine how that many people could fit in that tiny van.

Suddenly they realized, they were outnumbered; and while they were the better fighters, there was still to many. Uo shouted at Haru across the din they were making, "The bike! Now!"

Haru saw Uo run to the bike. She jammed on her helmet and yanked up the kickstand with a swift jab of her heel. Then the motor was going and with a quick parting punch, Haru leapt away from his attackers and towards Uo. But one guy caught his foot. "Let go you bastard!" Haru snarled and hit the guy square in the face. He ran for Uo and jumped on as she slowed down going past him.

He grabbed her waist, making sure his arms were far enough away that he would not hug her, and they were off. Uo dodged between men and was past the van in a quick second.

They started down another street and Haru let one hand slip down her leg. Uo shivered and Haru grinned. Beneath her helmet, Uo gave a nasty smile. Haru slipped the other hand across her butt until he was only hanging on with his knees. Then Uo turned down a corner.

She took the corner as fast as she dared, faster even. Haru went flying - literally. He hit the ground and skidded about seven feet. Uo immediately stopped and drove over to him. She hopped off and stood over him and told him in a rough voice that "If you EVER try to hit on me again, much less while we have a gang chasing after us! I will personally skin you alive and boil you in oil!"

Haru groaned and sat up. "Wha-?"

Uo grabbed his arm and yanked him up and to the bike, "Come on, I know a place where we can go." She got on the bike and Haru got on behind her, holding her shoulders.

White Haru had returned and was a little befuddled. "What's going on?" he shouted to Uo.

"What do you mean, what's going on? You yell at me to stop, calling me the Red Butterfly, I come back, you're in a fight with some gang, we escape, we just fight them again, then you hit on me and your asking me what's going on!" Uo was a little bit peeved and Haru was a little bit confused.

"Hold on, we're going to turn a bunch!" Uo decided to warn him this time. She was more tolerant of Haru now. Haru seemed to have returned to the implacable person he was at school, and not the perv that he had been back there.

"Where are we going!" Haru shouted into the wind again.

"Home," Uo whispered.

"What!"

"Home!" and Uo sped up.

They spun down a series of side streets and alleys, many of whom looked like a dead end at first but turned out to have a side street hidden behind a pile of orange crates or something similar.

The alleys became narrower and dirtier. Graffiti was on the walls and Haru was noticing one symbol that was coming up more and more frequently, a large F and A surrounded by four colored rings. Beside it in Big white and black letters were SS.

Suddenly a person stepped in front of them and said, "Halt!"

Uo slammed on the brakes and halted an inch form the persons hand, "Damn it yasha-chan! What if I hadn't stepped on the friggin' brake in time? You dirty bitch!"

Haru was surprised to see the girls face crack into a smile. Uo was off the bike in an instant and hugging the girl who was crying. The girl was short, she only came up to midway of Uo's upper arm. Her hair was black, and her skin tanned. She wore a leather jacket with the graffiti symbol of FA and the rings on the back of it. On the front was the black and white SS. She also wore dirty jeans that looked very grease spattered.

"Ouen Kurohyou! I've missed you so much!" Haru sat shell-shocked on the bike. Uo had barely missed hitting a girl, insulted her and then the girl seemed to know who she was and missed her on top of that. He was confused.

"Yasha-chan, I need you to call Ryo, tell her to get as many are at the core out here in full regalia now!"

The girl looked scared, "But Kuro, Ryo, she, she said-"

"Please yasha, just ask her, for the sake of the Red Butterfly!"

Haru started up at that, the girl bit her lip and then with a quick nod turned to her bike that Haru could now see was hidden in a niche in the alley. Yasha leaned over her bike and picked up a walkie talkie and spoke into it for a while.

Then she came back out and said carefully to Uo, "Ryo said to tell you these exact words, 'You idiotic bitch, if you think you can walk your freakin' ass up to my doorstep and just fuck your way through, go ahead, I'll have a pair of knives ready for you. But for the sake of her, I will help you just this once, you bitch. And you will have to pay for that.'"

Uo laughed, Haru just stared with his mouth hanging open. "That means the good ol' chief hasn't changed then!" she chortled.

The girl nodded her head, then jabbed a finger towards him, "Who's he?"

"A friend," was all that Uo would answer her laughter dying quickly.

Uo leaned against the wall and talked to the girl for a while, waiting. Haru tuned them out and listened for the sound for the approaching van. Uo's explanation had brought forth a fuzzy memory of the past half hour. He climbed off and leaned against the bike, his arms crossed across his chest.

Then he heard motors, the motorcycles! Haru started up and Uo stopped talking to the girl.

The motorcycles pulled around a corner and he quickly counted them to see there was about 15, and all of them were girls. In the lead was a girl who wore a black trench coat just like Uos, but hers was very worn down. On top of her head was a black helmet with flames on it. Her long hair from beneath the helmet flowed out like a larger flame – it was the exact same color of the flames on her helmet.

They stopped and the girl moved so fast, her helmet was off and she was yelling in the face of Uo, who had also moved fast and was halfway to the bike. The two stood a foot apart, yelling insults at each other.

While the girl and Uo were yelling at each other, Haru looked the unknown girl over. Her hair was down to the middle of her back and had red roots that went into orange than had yellow tips.

Her black trench coat had a design on the back- it was of a black butterfly exactly like Uo's but outlined in thin streaks of white. The coat was open to reveal a black tank top that revealed her tanned skin well. He could see the top of a sports bra as well as many necklaces at her neck and shoulders.

She looked like she had just come out from underneath her bike. Her short, black tank top was shiny where grease had gotten on it and had many rips in it. Her dark gray cargo pants were skin-tight and also had many grease stains and rips and patches in them. They hugged her hips and rode low; her belly button was halfway between the top of her pants and the bottom of her shirt. Haru had to yank his gaze back up to her face.

Her eyes were narrowed and purple, at least that was what they looked like from a distance. He could not see much of her nose or mouth since she wore a doctor's mask that hid her lower nose and mouth. All of the skin that showed was tanned, but it was no tanning booth tan, there were lines that were darker and lighter at her neck and stomach from the necklaces and many differing shirts and pants.

Then finally, for some odd reason, the girl and Uo stopped and glared at each other. The terse silence was broken by the van roaring around the corner and coming to a screeching halt. Haru was glad it showed up.

Haru spun and immediately fell into a defensive position from his training with Kazuma, his karate master. The van doors popped open and the gang again spilled out, Haru thought he was suffering from a severe sense of de ja vu for a second before he remembered what had happened to Black Haru.

One big burly guy came forward and yelled, "We just want the two! The girl and the guy." He must have realized how stupid he sounded because he immediately clarified, "The girl in the black coat with the red butterfly on the back." Haru still thought he sounded idiotic and apparently Uo and the girl did too because they both just stared at him.

Haru wondered why the gang did not just attack and quickly glanced over his shoulder. All of the girls from the bikes either had a weapon out or clearly implied they had some on them. He saw girls with knives, with pipes, with chains, and even with guns. He was surprised to see that even Uo had a knife out.

Clearly the gang did not want to go bare-fisted into a pack of armed females, Haru was sure he sure as hell did not want to. All of the girls had a dangerous look on their faces and the way they held their weapons clearly showed they knew how to use them.

The girl Haru had been studying earlier walked slowly past her gang and around Haru to step in front of the guy. "And who are you?" her rough low voice was measured and calm.

The guy stood up straighter and said proudly, "I am Sei, head of the Iron Thorns!" he pointed to his tattoo of barbed wire, he obviously thought himself very smart for the gang title. "Who are you and why are you protecting these two?"

"I am Ryoko, Sixth Generation leader of the Suicide Squad," his eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly in surprise, but she was not done, "Southern Alliance," His eyes were wide open and staring at this point. His eyes scoured her coat and he read the black and white SS. "Femina Animalis Division." At the bewildered look on his face she said, "It's Latin." He still looked confused - she sighed, "It's Female Animals in a different language." His confused expression cleared. Hary stared at the FA and the four rings suddenly understanding.

The Suicide Squad was a large organization gang. It had different directional alliances, which in turn split into different divisions that could be large or small gang sized. Since Ryoko was head of the Suicide Squad she called the shots and pulled rank on any and all other leaders in any other Suicide Squad gang. She had beat all of the other Suicide leaders before she had become The Leader. IT proved she had brains, brawn, and speed in order to defeat all of the leaders, either in or out of a fight.

"Plus, the girl you want was part of my gang and the boy is with her," Haru felt his back stiffen at being called boy in that tone by the girl in front of him. "I am sorry, but you cannot have them – they are mine and in my territory."

She turned and started to walk away when a glob of spit landed at her feet and she stopped.

"Bitch," Sei spat. Sei knew all about the Suicide Squad, or at least enough to scare him, but pride is a big thing to swallow, especially for a gang leader.

Ryoko slowly turned around and walked back to him, "Thank you. A bitch is actually a compliment, because if you think about it; a bitch is what? A mother dog. Mothers are very protective and strong as well as having a high level of pain tolerance due to giving birth. On top of that she is a dog, a noble creature and one who is strong, predatory, and a good hunter and does well in a fight."

Sei just stared at her. She grinned, her teeth flashing in the light. Haru understood why Yasha hadn't been offended by Uo and Uo had laughed at Ryo's message.

Sei roared and yanked out a switchblade knife. With a quick finger the blade was out and a five inch blade was pointed at Ryoko's covered nose. She only said, "A knife fight? How primitive. How about we race for them." She leaisurely pushed his knife aside and stared at him. "You win - I hand them over and no more is said. I win and we get to beat the crap out of you and your gang while we kick you out of our territory, I'll be kind and won't bet your territory. Plus bets can be placed on the race. You and me, our own bikes." Suddenly she stopped and asked, "You do have a bike don't you?" as if no person could possibly be a leader and not know how to bike or have their own bike.

"'Course I do!" he growled.

Ryoko's grin was back, "Good! Three days then? Saturday, 11 pm, the ravine." Sei nodded and turned and yelled at his gang to get back in the van.

Royko stood there with her feet spread apart, her hands on her hips and her head tilted and a wicked grin played across her face. She waited until the gang had gone before spinning around. Her black trench coat flew out behind her as she strode back to Uo. She stood facing Uo again. Haru noticed that Uo was taller than Ryoko by about five inches. Ryoko must be about 5' 3" or 4".

"You know the rules Uo. Come on. Your little boyfriend can take your bike - that is, if he can ride-"

Uo said quietly, "He can ride."

"Good, get on." Ryoko leapt lightly onto her bike fitting her helmet on in one smooth old motion. Uo scooped up her helmet and got on behind Ryoko.

Haru was a bit lost, so he turned to the one girl he knew, well, sorta. "Yasha?" "Yeah? What?" Yasha was leaning against her bike, a toothpick sticking out of her mouth.

"What's going on?"

Yasha sighed, "Uo isn't part of the gang any more, and she is asking for help from the gang. That's tricky business, means she and the Cheiftess gotta negotiate it out."

"Negotiate?"

Yasha grinned the toothpick nearly falling out of her mouth, "Yep, Ryoko's way – a fight."

Well, hope that is a bit more interesting to you people. I wasn't sure if Haru could ride a bike, so he can - ok? And Uo knows it. And Uo's height, I dunno, I guessed. She seems tall in the anime so yeah… whatever. Review please!

Preview of Chap 3: The fight (obviously) and Haru starts to see into Uo's past.

Kit ;)

Pebbled Sky: word. Thanks! I am working on continuing so we shall see. Hana's cool, but Uo is just WICKED!


	3. Negotiations

The Red Butterfly

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap. ' and ' are for thoughts, " and " are for speaking.

Warning: Contains swearing, bloodshed (sword fighting), **some sexual stuff (?),** and all around bashing.

Chapter 3: Negotiations

Haru looked at that the fascination on the girl's face for the impending fight, "That is sick you know that?"

Yasha looked up, baffled for a second. When she realized what he was talking about, she grinned and spit out the toothpick. "Well what else did you think The Cheiftess _would_ do? Sit around a table and _haggle_?"

Haru remained silent.

Yasha grinned at him before turning to say, "Hey Mater!" Haru turned and saw a small girl coming towards them.

The girl was probably five foot even and had her brown hair in a bun at her neck. She wore a worn, brown, leather jacket and nice jeans with sturdy shoes. Haru had the insane urge to hug her as one would a little kid. He was sure if he actually did, 'Mater' would give him one of those kind, adoring smiles that Tohru and Kisa gave so well.

"Don't let her looks fool you. Mater has pepper spray _and_ a wooden stick up those baggy sleeves of hers and she is _wicked_ fast." Haru gaped at Yasha, who was sitting coolly on her bike and grinning at his obviously common reaction.

"Mater?" he asked Yasha.

"Mother – _Latin_." At Haru's look she continued, "Well she _is_ our little mother. She knows _any_ first aid procedure and I'm sure she could recite the _whole _book of First Aid off to you. She also watches out for all of us, scolding, hitting, pleading, disappointment, guilt tripping; you know, the _typical_ mother actions."

Haru stood back as Matar walked up to Yasha. The girl had a small round face and on it was a peaceful expression.

"You had better thank Uo if she lives," Mater turned and smiled up at Haru as she told him what to do as one tells a child to stand up straight and smile.

Haru's eyes opened at the frank comment, "Why?"

Yasha rolled her eyes and answered, "Don't you know anything? Uo nearly _died_ leaving this gang. It's only because of the _Red Butterfly _that she is alive today. Uo is one of the best riders, she could have lost those Iron Thorn guys in the streets and alleys, you must have been weighing her down. That is why she came _here_ – it's the only spot where she had a chance. Now she and Ryoko _gotta_ knife fight and you better hope Uo has learned more than the last time she was here!"

Haru's head was whirling, "Wait! She nearly DIED leaving? A knife fight? The Red Butterfly, what?"

Matar looked at him kindly with a small smile on her face at his ignorance. "Uo and Ryoko used to be in this gang, mere peons. Then the Red Butterfly left, leaving Ryoko as head and Uo as Second in Command, but with leader privileges and the right to veto Ryoko on anything. When Uo decided to leave, the Cheiftess was not happy. She ordered that Uo get a trip to pain city to have the sense pounded into her head. So Uo went on a trip."

Haru looked from girl to girl shocked, "What!"

Here, Yasha picked up the story, "_The Red Butterfly_ stepped in though and saved her, carting her off hanging off her bike _practically_ unconscious. The Butterfly was the fifth Leader of the Suicide Squad before the old Chieftess and so, being the leader of the Suicide Squad-" she stopped at Haru's blank look. "Most gangs are small, but there are a few that are HUGE. So they are split into several groups. Suicide Squad is one of the biggest, and as the Butterfly was its leader at one point, she was_ the best _of _the best_. It's no wonder that of all people to save Uo, it would be her. She always had a soft spot for Uo and Ryo." Yasha pulled another toothpick out of her jacket.

"Uo and Ryo? Soft spot?" Haru realized their explanations were not really helping.

"Yeah, they were her little prodigies." Mater's kind expression was really getting creepy now, or was it just that she felt like Kisa or Tohru in a gang? "She choose Ryo to be the next leader since she could read people really well and knew intuitively when to plead and when to push. Plus hse commanded a lot of respect and could keep the group going. Uo was the opposite of Ryo thinking wise and together they spotted everything, they made a great team. Uo was the one on defence, she usually pulled Ryoko out of a bad spot or came to the rescue, she rarely started fights – Ryoko did enough for them. But they knew each other so well it was almost as if they could read each other's minds. They were each other's right and left hand."

Mater shook her head, "We had best be going, you can follow me on Uo's bike." Matar patted his hand and Haru had an insane urge to laugh, which he barely managed to hold down, concealed beneath his smooth face.

"Yasha," Mater turned to Yasha, "I dare not replace someone else at duty or tell you to leave your post with Ryo in the mood she is now, but tune into my station on the walkie-talkie and you can at least hear what is happening."

Yasha grinned her thanks and settled back on her bike for the remainder of her watch.

Haru straddled Uo's bike and settled in, moving the bike upright. He was surprised to see that he did not have to stretch to reach the handlebars, he and Uo must be about the same height, but he had never realized it before. He kicked the bike into action and spun around, Mater was waiting and they took off speeding off down the dark and dank streets.

They finally stopped at some old abandoned shop off of some unknown street. The wooden sign out front was worn from time and he could not tell what kind of shop it had been. He set Uo's bike down in a garage across the street next to Matar's bike and a bunch of others. They closed the large metal door and went across the street and into the store.

Haru had not seen anyone inside the store when they were outside, but as soon as he was inside, people seemed to be everywhere. Another girl at the door nodded at Matar and her charge, word of him had been passed around. Matar weaved her way through the press of females and Haru pushed through trying to find her. He found his ire building as he kept being separated and getting lost. But each time when he was so frustrated he was ready to turn around and try to leave, Matar would show up at his side, smile, and keep walking.

They wandered through many small rooms with people wandering everywhere. Between the girls, the furniture, and other random bits of equipment in the building he soon became thoroughly lost. Suddenly they were in a room full to the brim with people. He pushed his way into the crowd and was suddenly stopped by someone as he broke through into an open circle.

A circle in the middle of the floor of the room had been drawn and Ryoko and Uo stood in the center staring at each other with another girl there between them. The unknown girl had short dirty blonde hair tied in two pigtails and wore a jean skirt and black leather jacket. She asked Uo something but over the noise the people were making, Haru could not hear them. Uo looked over at him and nodded.

The girl held up her hands and the noise quickly subsided into a tense and eager silence. "You all know why we are here – Uo, also known as Ouen Kurohyou to those of you older members, has come to ask for sanctuary. Her and her friend here," all eyes were drawn to Haru - he was the only male in the place and stood out horribly. "-have asked for help against the Iron Thorns – another gang. Ryoko has agreed to help in a race against Sei, the leader of the Iron Thorns so long as Uo can best her in a knife fight."

Murmurs rose as the story passed to the people in the back and people's versions of what had happened were straightened and gossip spread and died everywhere. He heard stories of the last fight Uo had been in here and of past bits and news between the two. The 'referee' silenced the crowd with a pierce whistle before continuing. But all Haru could focus on was the "so long as" part.

"Now, you all know the rules to a knife fight so I will try not to be to long," a few laughs and hearty agreements came from the audience as well as a few comments which were waved off genially by the referee. Ryoko and Uo continued to stare each other down, ignoring everything else around them. Haru noticed each had a six-inch blade in one of their hands and were standing ready to fight.

"There are only two opponents, no one may help them physically until one has been declared winner and one loser. The fight ends when one cries mercy, crossed the border, or has passed out. This is a fight beyond first blood but there is to be no killing!" Her voice rose and resounded off the paper walls at the last two words. "You may cheer on either side as much as you like, but I am the one who will declare winner as I am Faita-Raion, the second in command. The fight only ends when I have called a stop. Now BEGIN!"

The fight started and the first moves were a blur to Haru until he stopped trying to see all the details and looked only for overall movements, but already Ryoko had snatched first blood and a trickle ran down Uo's arm. This cut was more important than most people first believe, more harmful than a cut to the cheek. If the cut continued to bleed and the fight moved on, the more movement the arm made, the more blood would be lost and the weaker the arm would get – already Uo was limited to how long she could play.

Ryoko had not come away totally unscathed either – her tank top was ripped at her side, but no blood was drawn. They dashed at each other again and Uo slashed at Ryoko's stomach, but Ryoko quickly jumped back and then, while her weight was leaned forward, pushed off into the air into a roll over and on top of Uo who was bent over still to limit the open area in front from her dash at Ryoko.

Uo quickly stood and spun a rolling Ryoko off onto the floor in a crooked trajectory. Ryoko managed to stop herself one foot from the ring and was up in a second and charging back at Uo. Uo stood her ground this time and waited. Ryoko's mouth opened in a snarl and Uo answered in a cold smile. Their knives clashed as Uo brought hers up to block a cut to her shoulder. Her skin was saved but the momentum carried them both backwards. Uo fell to the ground and sent Ryoko over her.

She was bound for the floor by the circle when her hand snatched out and pushed off the ground sending her head and upper body, back upwards. Her feet caught the ground and she twisted to run along the circle edge. Again Ryoko had caught herself from the line just in time. The crowd cheered and shouted for blood, for a fight - for a winner.

Haru stood staring at the dueling two – all three lost in the fight. He appreciated a good fight and these two gave one. They were almost equals, but Ryoko had a reckless abandon that Uo did not. It was similar to when Kyo and Yuki fought. Kyo gave it everything just as Ryoko did, but Uo held back as Yuki did. But Uo did not hold back for some odd sort of cat and mouse game that Yuki did, but because she knew that Ryoko was better than her, she also probably felt some hesitation to harm. She needed to use her head and find a weakness quickly – or she was a goner. Her arm was throbbing and she had not had this strenuous a fight in a long time.

Ryoko was breathing only slightly harder and seemed none the worse for all of her spins and cartwheels. She grinned at Uo and dashed at her again. Uo now stood in the center of the circle, fighting was in close quarters and Ryoko reached Uo in the middle of her third step.

Uo's hand nicked out and the blade glinted as Ryoko's did the same. Uo aimed at Ryoko's stomach again and Ryoko aimed at Uo's head. Haru was stunned, Ryoko seemed ready to kill Uo, she seemed not the least concerned if Uo was too slow and her blade hit something vital, she was out for blood. She was like Kyo in many ways, but much more ruthless, her smile and glances were cold and calculating. She was a leader in a harsh territory and time; she needed to be the best that she could be and the most ruthless. And if she was not, she was damn close. It was a harsh world here – the only rule, get better, or die.

Uo ducked her head just in time – only a few hairs at the top of her head were cut by Ryoko's sharp blade. Uo hefted her blade and her hand darted out at Ryoko's stomach. Uo was practically bent over, Ryoko's hands reaching over her head and Uos hands reaching for Ryoko's stomach. The knife cut into something and Uo shouted – she saw blood.

Ryoko threw her knife up into the air and put both of her hands flat on Uo's back. She cartwheeled herself into the air and over Uo. Uo was pushed to the ground by the force and Uo spun into the air. Her arm snatched her whirling blade and she landed on the toes of her feet. Hair covered one eye, and the other was narrowed in concentration on the fight. Uo quickly pushed herself up from the ground, her head whipped around and was soon followed by her body.

Neither heard the crowd cheering them. Neither saw Haru who could feel the throb of the crowd around him but could not hear them. Ryoko reached down to her side and placed a finger in the cut of her shirt. She pulled the finger out; the first digit of her finger was covered in blood. She stuck her finger in her mouth and sucked the blood off. She pulled her finger out, her lips were slightly darker shade of red and they formed a wicked grin at Uo – Ryoko knew she was better and this was only a slight set-back.

Uo switched the knife into her other hand. She was not great at left-handed techniques, but she was better off left handed than wounded right handed. Her arm was starting to weaken from the blood-loss and strain put on it by the earlier cut. They stared at each other their eyes narrowed and crackling. The crowd cheered and screamed and shouted. Bets flew through the air and comments were tossed back and forth. Some in the crowd were newbies and did not know what they were seeing. Others were experienced veterans and appreciated the fight.

Suddenly they both dashed at each other, but this time is was Uo who went over. Ryoko knelt down on one knee and Uo stepped onto the proffered knee and did a front flip over Ryoko. Haru saw their knives glint at each other, but was not sure exactly what had happened. It was only when Uo stood upright from her flip and Ryoko got to her feet and he saw them both facing away from each other that he realized what happened.

Uo had gone for Ryoko's right arm and Ryoko had gone for Uo's ankles. Ryoko had a long shallow patch of skin hanging off her arm. It bled, but the wound was shallow and not fatal, only hindering. She reached up and quickly cut off the hanging piece of skin. Her face showed no emotion and her actions were swift and decisive. Haru shuddered at the open patch on her arm that was now covered in blood. Uo had a cut across the back of her calves, but it was not the back of her ankles – a cut that would have lost her mobility forever, but it was nonetheless a harsh cut.

Ryoko's cut bleed furiously and the blood trickled down her arm and into her right hand. She wiped the handle off on her shirt and took the blade with her left hand. Uo stretched her legs, causing two small streams of blood to trickle down her legs.

Uo whipped around and brought her blade up to block a back flipping Ryoko. Ryoko aimed for a slash across Uo's chest, but Uo bent backward and Ryoko flipped over her. Uo jabbed her blade out as Ryoko passed over her and got Ryoko in the thigh. Ryoko's eyes narrowed even further, mere slits in an imperturbable face. Uo was pulled over as she would not let go of the blade.

She kicked her feet over her head and kicked Ryoko in the face with both feet. But Uo had forgotten about Ryoko's blade. Her blade lashed out and dug deep in the side of Uo's arm.

Uo cried out and her eyes narrowed in the pain and her scream. But years of practice kept them from totally shutting and giving her opponent an advantage. Ryoko fell over onto her back and Uo landed on top of her. She scrambled up and each yanked the others knife out of themselves.

Ryoko dashed at Uo and they rolled over, Uo's head almost crossing over the line before she was able to get the new blade back into a good grip and throw a cut at Ryoko. Ryoko did not back off. She took the cut across her stomach and pushed Uo closer to the line.

This time Uo was holding Ryoko back with the mere strength in her arms, her body was pinched below Ryoko and Ryoko was leaning her whole weight into pushing Uo over the line. Ryoko bent down and whispered to a pain-filled Uo, "Remember the last time we fought?" Uo's eyes were screwed tightly shut, her entire being focused on pushing Ryoko back.

A memory played over the back of her eyelids, and to the cacophony of catcalls, shouts, burning limbs, slick blood covering her body, the smell of sweat filling her nostrils, and sore muscles and body parts - she thought of that time, that time long, long ago.

A punch hit her and she felt a rib break and crack. More punches landed on her body. Another one hit her broken rib and she fell with a cry. Then someone stepped on her arm and ground their heel. She felt her forearm snap like a twig. The blows rained downwards upon her inert form. Pain blossomed inside her and a red haze filmed over her eyes no matter how much she blinked. Then she realized it was her own blood trickling from cuts on her head.

She knew worse was to come, she had only felt fists and feet, no weapons or threats had been added in yet.

Suddenly the kicks and blows stopped, she painfully pried opened her eyes, and saw Kyoko. For a second she thought she was having some sort of dream. But when Kyoko started and she saw the blur that was her old leader she grinned. She was saved!

A leader had to have the respect of the gang and be the fastest and best rider, fighter, and negotiator. And Kyoko was the best of the best.

Uo felt pain multiply as she was lifted up in Kyoko's arms and jangled, jounced, and bumped as Kyoko ran to her bike, put Uo across the back as gently as possible in the quickest time possible and drove off.

The last thing Uo remembered before blacking out was seeing Ryoko standing in the middle of the street, her feet apart, the gang around her. Her face was angry, but Uo saw the fading light glint off of a tear as her vision faded and the bike throbbed and thrummed beneath her broken body.

Uo's eyes snapped open and she managed one horse word, "Ryoko."

She felt pain multiply and burn her body and she pushed at Ryoko with everything she had. The memory stirred up fierce painful memories and she felt her head edge away from the line and slowly sit up. Suddenly Ryoko was gone and Uo's push forward threw her to the ground.

Before Ryoko could come back upon her, Uo was up. Her eyes were narrowed, but she was different this time. There was no sweat, no nervousness. This was an enemy, not an old friend, not a fellow or acquaintance in any way – she was simply an enemy. Ryoko grinned and shouted at Uo, "THIS is the fighter I want to fight! THIS is the one I have been waiting for! Fight me! Fight me as your best! THIS is the fight I have dreamed of!" Her mouth opened in pure joy as she shouted a war cry and she hefted the knife in her hand.

"Then come on," Uo said. She could barely be heard over the noise from the crowd. Ryoko dashed at her and Uo's hands whipped out. The knife dug into Ryoko's forearm and her fist landed on Ryoko's cheek. But Uo felt the blade near her stomach almost a second too late. She twisted her stomach and the blade cut a long red mark across the front of her stomach. Ryoko's fist also lashed out and grabbed onto Uo's right forearm. She squeezed and Uo ground her teeth against the pain of Ryoko squeezing the cut she had given Uo earlier.

"NO!" Uo let go of the blade and started to punch Ryoko. Ryoko too let go of her knife, sending it spinning forward and beyond the tangled duo. Ryoko managed to the get the blade out of her arm, but it slipped in her blood-slickened hand and flew away just before Uo's fist clashed into her right arm and she felt it go numb.

Uo slammed a fist into Ryoko's stomach and Ryoko doubled over gasping for air – for the first time showing emotion – desperation for air. Uo's other fist whammed down on the back of Ryoko and she fell to the ground. But Ryoko managed to reach up and grab Uo's ankles and yanking – pulled her down as well. Ryoko hit Uo wherever she could reach. Suddenly Uo's fist descended out of the corner of Ryoko's vision and hit her in the temple.

As soon as Ryoko fell limply flat onto the ground, Uo fell to her knees, then the ground - passed out. Haru stood staring – shocked. The crowd continued to cheer and shout and started to collect bets.

The second in command rushed into the circle and stood between the two fallen foes. "Uotani is the winner!"

The crowd cheered.

Sorry it has been so long since I last updated. Talk about slacking… But here is the latest chapter – nice and long too! I am ALMOST finished with 4, but it may be shorter so.. yah, happy times!

So… yeah, enjoy! AND REVIEW PLEASE!

Preview of Chap 4: Harua dn Ryo hang out and Haru finds out some more of Ryoko and Uo and the Red Butterfly. (wow… didn't that preview sound dramatic? I'm proud of myself!)

Kit ;)

Kurt1K: Glad you like it! UO DOES ROCK! Heres an update for you!

Shiroi Hikari: Pairing wise, who knows… Haru and Uo, Haru and Ryoko, Haru and the Second in Command, Haru and no one, who knows! Me least of all, it all depends on what you guys think and where this sotry leads me.

Lydia Skyy: WOW! I feel so praised! I actually feel like a good writer! I hope you and your friend like it!

Varyluvs321: Hopefully it is and will get even cooler! As I said before pairing wise – it all depends…


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